Leander put his hand on Shanlin’s shoulder when the boy sucked in a startled breath.Huiling gave him a curious look, and Shanlin turned his face to Leander, hiding eyes that shone with tears.Leander had expected an emotional storm to hit at some point, but this was not an auspicious time.
“His mother was killed for having magic,” Leander explained.“Our government is unkind toward those with power.”
Xi snorted.He was pale, and beads of sweat gathered at his hairline.
“I apologize, but Hu Xi is still unwell.He should sit after being ill so recently,” Leander said.
“We have failed as hosts,” Xiaobo said with a bow.“Come.Sit.”He gestured toward one of two low couches that faced each other.Xi glanced at Leander as though asking permission, and Leander nodded.When Xi lowered himself, his whole body sagged with relief.
“You are most gracious hosts, and allowing us room in your home is beyond kind.”Leander turned his attention to Shanlin.“Chinese magic is not the same as Western talent.If you learn to light a candle, that would not mean you have a talent the way your mother did,” Leander explained.
“The government would still take me,” Shanlin whispered, terror in his voice.
“I would end the entire government before I allowed them to take you,” Leander promised.
“You couldn’t.You don’t have the power.”Misery radiated from Shanlin’s small body.For a second, Leander hated both Finn and Tecca for bringing an innocent child into the shitshow that had been their lives.
“I am devious and inspired.I will protect you, Shanlin.”Leander would rather not have this conversation in front of an audience, but Shanlin’s fears needed to be addressed.When Shanlin turned to him, a fearful hope replaced the terror.Leander put an arm around Shanlin’s shoulders.“I promise, and I do not break my promises.”Knowing that he had shown poor manners by ignoring his hosts, Leander turned back to Xiaobo and Huiling and bowed again.
“I apologize for my distraction.”
Xiaobo waved a hand dismissively.“You tended your son as is right.Is he your firstborn?”
“Yes,” Leander agreed.
Xiaobo smiled for the first time.His smile was not as effusive as his wife’s, but it made Leander smile back, a gesture that was not natural to his face.“Will you serve the tea?”Xiaobo asked Leander.He gestured again, and the low table set between the two couches floated to the side while a tea service danced into the room.The china clinked as it settled on the table.
“I would be honored,” Leander bowed deeply, and Xiaobo and Huiling smiled at one another before settling on the long couch across from Xi.Leander eyed the table.Serving tea would be easier with the table in front of the couch, but they had intentionally moved it away.
Leander would have to loom over the couple or kneel in front of them.Looming was not an option, so he sighed and resigned himself to kneeling as if he were the new bride in an historical Chinese drama.The bright red tea set had Chinese characters done in a style that made it hard for Leander to read without studying it, and a small gold dragon and phoenix sat on the tray with the four small cups and the teapot.He prepared a single cup and walked over before kneeling and offering it to Xiaobo.
“Mother first,” he corrected in a gentle whisper.
“I apologize for my ignorance,” Leander said before shifting slightly so he could offer the cup to Huiling.She didn’t take it immediately, and Leander said softly, “Nie Huiling, please accept this tea.”
She smiled at him.“Call me Mother Huiling,” she said as she accepted it, sipping the tea once before smiling at Xiaobo with an inscrutable expression.Something was going on, but Leander didn’t understand what.The only thing he could hope was that this was a good thing, but in his life, confusing rarely meant good.He stood and returned to the tea set, pouring the next cup before returning to Xiaobo.
“Nie Xiaobo, please accept this tea,” he said, not waiting for the awkward silence.
“Call me Father Xiaobo.”He cupped Leander’s hands with his own for a moment.“Qidi of my second son,” he added before he took the tea.
Leander stood and, for a moment, he caught Xi’s eye.A quick WTF look passed between them, but Leander just shrugged.He returned for a third cup, but Xi reached for it before Leander had to kneel.Thank god.Leander finally poured a fourth cup for himself and turned to the couch, settling on the end nearest Shanlin.
“Would you like some tea, or juice?”Huiling asked Shanlin.Mother Huiling.Leander had to think of her as Mother Huiling.To get invited to use such a title and then neglect using it would be the ultimate insult.
“No, thank you.”
Mother Huiling waved her hand, and the table slid back into place before red bowls floated in from another room.Leander recognized candied whole walnuts and candied lotus seeds, but the rest of the food was too exotic for him to recognize.“Help yourself,” she told Shanlin.
He checked with Leander and got a nod before he grabbed a small white ball covered in sugar.
“We welcome you,” Father Xiaobo said, which was about the dozenth time he’d said the same, but this time, a red envelope floated from his hand to the air in front of Leander.
“I am honored.I do not deserve such kindness.”
“You are family,” Father Xiaobo said, and then he turned to Xi and spoke in English while Leander gently opened the ornate paper, trying to avoid ripping it.“Have the great teachers learned anything about your illness?”
Xi offered a weird half-bow for no logical reason, but the Nies were kind enough to ignore the awkwardness.“They have not.They only know that I would have died if Lian had not pulled the poison from me.”
